


Laughter is the Best Medicine

by literaryoblivion



Series: Tumblr Ficlets [37]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Deaf, Deaf Derek, Deaf Derek Hale, Doctor Stiles Stilinski, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Laughter, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 03:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1535210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryoblivion/pseuds/literaryoblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He hasn’t always been deaf.</p><p>Although, sometimes, he wishes he was. Mainly because he knows what he’s missing. He remembers what the rustle of the wind in the trees sounds like, remembers what kids playing in the playground sounded like, what laughter sounded like.</p><p>He misses it. A lot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Laughter is the Best Medicine

**Author's Note:**

> This was based off a prompt from [slutslovecars](http://slutslovecars.tumblr.com) on Tumblr: "Are you taking prompts? I've had deaf!Derek & audiologist!Stiles bouncing around in my head for awhile."
> 
> I would like to preface this with I researched a little on Google, but I really don't know much about cochlear implants or what it is involved in getting one/qualifying for one etc. So, I apologize in advance if I offend anyone or have gotten something wrong (cause lbr I probably did). (Also this is unbeta'd, sooo yeah.)
> 
> Also, for Derek's dialogue, when it's in italics, it means he's signing it.

He hasn’t always been deaf.

Although, sometimes, he wishes he was. Mainly because he knows what he’s missing. He remembers what the rustle of the wind in the trees sounds like, remembers what kids playing in the playground sounded like, what laughter sounded like. 

He misses it. A lot.

He tries not to dwell on it though. Tries to be happy with the senses he still has: sight, smell, taste, touch. He’s gotten good at reading lips and body language, can complete the rest of the picture with his other senses and his memory of what things sounded like before the accident. 

Derek shouldn’t have been there in the first place. But he was a teenager then and thought he was invincible and knew better. He was supposed to be at home, doing his homework, waiting for the rest of his family to get home. His dad was receiving an important award at the chemical plant he worked at, but Derek had to stay late for practice and couldn’t join his family. His mom had reassured him that it was fine, that he’d be bored and didn’t need to come.

But he hated the idea of his family celebrating without him, so instead of staying at home, he rode his bike to the plant. Late was better than not being there at all, right? He was right outside the doors when the explosion happened. He doesn’t remember anything right after that, still doesn’t, except for what he’s been told happened.

All he remembers about that night was that it was the night he had lost not only his hearing but also everyone in his family but his older sister Laura.

He’s thankful he still has her. She’s the only one that can know what he’s thinking or feeling or saying without him having to sign it. After mourning the loss of their family, Laura focused on taking care of Derek and his needs. They helped each other learn sign language, which Derek needed to know in order to get into the school for the deaf, and now they sign more than anything else.

They share an apartment and are both grown adults with careers. Derek doesn’t really know exactly what Laura does except that it has something to do with marketing, and Derek works from home as a freelance editor. It’s the perfect job for him since it mostly involves written communication and he doesn’t have to deal with people face to face, something he didn’t like to do even before he lost his hearing.

That’s not to say he doesn’t get out or have friends because he does. He gets together every so often with his buddies from school who are also hard of hearing in some way. Laura even joins them when she can. He has a nice, comfortable life, and he has his moments, he does, when he sees something that he wishes he could hear. But he doesn’t dwell on them because Laura would get mad if he got even more grumpy and broody than he is normally. He can’t do anything to change things anyway. 

That is until Laura comes home with a huge grin on her face and a business card in her hand.

~

Laura doesn’t even bother to have the common courtesy of tapping Derek on the shoulder to get his attention first before she slams her hand down on the table in front of him. Derek flinches in surprise at the sudden movement and presence of his sister in front of him. She lifts her hand from the table to reveal a business card.

Derek looks up at her, his eyebrow raised in question. She waves at the card, clearly wanting him to read it. He picks it up suspiciously, pulling it closer to read the print.

In big bold letters it says “Stiles Stilinski, Audiologist” and below it in smaller print it says “Specializes in cochlear implants for post-lingual adults.” It also includes an email, an office location, and phone number.

He looks up from the card and gives Laura a shrug. She rolls her eyes.

“He’s the same one Erica went to,” Laura says as she signs. 

 _“So?_ ” he tells her with a look.

“She said she liked him.”

Derek stares at her because while he understands what she’s saying, he doesn’t get the point. She bites her lip. 

“Don’t be mad,” she signs, “but I scheduled an appointment with him… for you.”

“ _What?! Why?_ ” Derek signs, his face conveying as much anger as he can.

“Because he can help you, Derek. You know how well Erica’s doing with her implant, and I thought maybe you could meet with him… see if it’s something you could qualify for.”

“No,” Derek says, a rare occurrence these days unless he really wants to emphasize his point. He doesn’t talk much, though he can, didn’t talk much when he had his hearing either. It’s just easier to remain silent when dealing with people, especially those that don’t know him.

“Derek, this will be good for you. It’s just one appointment. If you don’t like him or decide that you don’t want to risk it, then we won’t go back. I thought it might be nice is all…” She sighs after she’s done signing, something that Derek can tell she’s doing. Her face falls slightly, and he feels bad for being so dismissive when his sister is trying to help. He knows she misses him being able to hear too, has told him as much on occasion. 

She turns to walk away, and Derek grabs a hold of her wrist to keep her from leaving.

"Okay," he says. He holds up one finger to indicate that's all he'll do is one appointment. She nods in understanding a small smile growing on her face.

She signs when she scheduled it and then asks what he wants for dinner. She doesn't bring up the appointment again after that. Derek is glad of it. He'll go to make his sister happy, but he's comfortable with how his life is now and doesn't want it to change.

He is not interested in a cochlear implant no matter how great Erica says it is, and he's not interested in this Dr. Stilinski either.

~ 

On the day of the appointment, Derek contemplates backing out five times, but Laura takes the day off work to take him, so he can't cancel it. When they arrive, the office and waiting area looks nice enough. There's a TV with the closed captions on, several magazines on the coffee table and chairs, and the woman at the front desk seems friendly when Derek signs in. There's a little boy playing in the corner, his mother watching him as she fills out paperwork. Derek has his own stack of paperwork to complete, and he gets to it while they wait. 

He's almost done when a man in scrubs comes to him and taps him on the shoulder. 

"Are you Derek?" asks the man. Derek nods, and the other man smiles. The man signs for him to follow him and tells Laura that she's welcome to join them as well. Laura glances at Derek, a silent question to him to see if he needs her to come and Derek gives her a shrug. She rolls her eyes and gestures for them to go on and tells the nurse that she'll wait out here if they need her.

The nurse leads Derek to a room with two chairs and a desk with a computer, not a typical doctor's examining room, which he supposes is fine since he's there for a consultation of sorts not for an illness. The nurse signs that Dr. Stilinski will be a few minutes and for Derek to make himself comfortable. Derek signs an okay and watches the nurse smile and leave the room, shutting the door behind him. 

Derek wanders around the small space, looking at the posters on the wall of the ear, how the cochlear implant works, and various other diagrams. The desk is clean with only a few framed pictures in the corner. He wants to get closer to really see the pictures, but he doesn't think that if this is the doctor's actual office and not a generic one, that Dr. Stilinski would appreciate him snooping around his personal things. 

Just as he sits down in one of the chairs, turned slightly so he can see the door, said door opens and a man in a white lab coat walks in. He must be Dr. Stilinski, and Derek can’t help but look him up and down once he’s fully in the room. The man is attractive with large brown eyes, brown hair, and moles that dot his face. No wonder Erica couldn’t stop raving about the guy.

Dr. Stilinski gives Derek a wide grin and introduces himself, signing while he speaks.

“Derek? Hi. I’m Dr. Stilinski, but you can call me Stiles,” he says and signs out each of the letters of his name. “Or, if you’re comfortable, I have a few patients and colleagues who use this,” he says, then signs the word for [fox](http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/f/fox.htm). Derek’s not sure how he got that sign name, but he doesn’t want to ask.

He extends his hand for Derek to shake, which he accepts and returns. Stiles moves to sit across from Derek behind the desk, and now that he’s closer, Derek can’t stop staring at him. He blushes slightly in embarrassment at being so caught up at admiring Stiles’s looks. Stiles, though, takes it as a sign of nervousness it seems.

“Let me assure you, this is only an initial consultation, and you are free to leave whenever you’d like. I’m here to answer your questions, explain how it works, and see if it’s something you’d like to consider.” 

Derek bobs his head and signs, “ _I know._ ” He tries to give Stiles a smile, but it doesn’t fool Stiles.

“Let’s get to know each other first, shall we?” Stiles asks. 

“ _Okay._ ” 

“I’ll go first. My favorite color is blue, the Mets are the best no matter the stats, and curly fries are my weakness.” 

Derek’s eyes widen because he wasn’t expecting Stiles to be so casual. He thought Stiles would tell him where he got his degree, how long he was practicing, really try to sell him on how professional he is and how Derek should trust him; a route that would have turned Derek off, to be honest, but this? This is nicer.

Derek smiles. “ _My favorite color is green. I wholeheartedly disagree with you about the Mets, but I respect your loyalty. And I can always go for some cheesecake.”_

Even though Derek can’t hear it, he can tell Stiles is laughing. It makes his chest warm and ache at the same time. He kind of wishes he knew what Stiles sounded like.

“What was your first car?”

_“A black Camaro. Although it technically wasn’t mine. I had to share with my sister. You?”_

“A blue two-door jeep. It was a hunk of junk, but it lasted me all through college and half of medical school, so can’t complain too much.” Stiles looks up, wistful, and shrugs. “Want to ask me anything else?”

 _“What made you want to be an audiologist?”_  

Stiles gives him a sad smile. “My mom. She was deaf too, so I grew up learning how to sign. She passed away when I was little, but I wanted to keep signing even though there was no reason for me to anymore. When I got older I decided I wanted a career that let me help the deaf in some way, and so here I am.”

Stiles smiles, but Derek can tell that there’s still pain there. He knows because he’s seen it reflected back to him in the mirror and in Laura’s face sometimes. He appreciates that Stiles is being so open and honest with him about something that clearly still hurts. Derek feels guilty for asking him even though he had no idea of the result, but before he can apologize, Stiles’s face is back to its cheery demeanor as it had been when he had come in.

“Want to know anything else about me?”

Derek shakes his head. _“Maybe you could explain how this works?_ ” Derek asks, pointing to the diagram of the cochlear implant on the wall.

“Of course!”

He spends the next thirty minutes explaining to Derek how the implant functions, how it would help, what it would take for Derek to get one, etc. Stiles ends up getting sidetracked easily while he’s explaining, but it doesn’t bother Derek. He learns more about Stiles through his tangents, and he grows to like Stiles more and more, especially when he laughs. Stiles laughs with his whole body, his mouth open wide like he can’t possibly contain his joy. Derek smiles whenever he sees it, wishes he could hear the sound ringing in his ears instead of only being able to make a guess at what it sounds like. Derek finds himself participating more in the conversation than he ever has with anyone else aside from Laura, trying to get Stiles to laugh with his whole body again just to see it.

By the end of the session, Derek is convinced that he’ll follow through with the procedure. It means months of meeting with Stiles, and at the end, if everything goes well, he’ll get to really hear what Stiles sounds like, what his bursts of joyful laughter sound like, and ultimately that’s what makes Derek say yes.

He leaves with Laura after setting up a line of tests and appointments, and even though he’s nervous about what all he will have to undergo for the procedure, he’s happy that Laura pushed him to go. As much as he loves signing and being with his deaf friends as part of the deaf community, he’s never felt like he’s belonged and since the accident he hasn’t belonged in the hearing world either. Maybe this will help him. Maybe Stiles can help him.

~ 

It’s been a long time coming, but Derek is _finally_ ready to turn on the implant and have it tested. It’s the day he’s supposed to go in, and he’s both excited and anxious. He’s gotten to know Stiles over the course of these few months, and he really likes Stiles. Stiles seems to like him too and is more friendly with him than he is with his other patients. He’s even been out a few times with Derek to hang out with him and Erica and a few other friends.

But once Derek doesn’t have to see him regularly any more, what will happen? 

He’s ready to hear again and not have to rely so much on sign language, although he’s not sure he’ll ever give it up entirely. But he’s not ready to stop seeing Stiles. He’s kind of fallen for him, which seems like such a cliché for him to fall head over heels for his doctor, but it’s kind of true. He’s just not sure if Stiles feels the same, mainly because he is Derek’s doctor.

Derek can tell when he stops himself from signing something to him that he shouldn’t, or he’ll go to reach for Derek to point out something and instead his hand will hover in the air like he’s trying to breach some invisible force field. It’s been frustrating for Derek, to say the least, but he gets it. The last thing he wants to do is put Stiles’s career in jeopardy because doctor/patient relations are never looked upon favorably, but it doesn’t stop him from wanting Stiles. 

Stiles has been the first person in a long time he’s felt like he can be himself with, that it doesn’t matter that he can’t hear, that he is someone important and worth being with. And Derek doesn’t want to ever give that up. 

He waits to be called in to Stiles’s office, Laura sitting next to him reading a magazine. He leaves her there in the waiting room while he follows the nurse to the room. Before they get to Stiles’s office, though, Stiles runs into them in the hallway and tells the nurse he can take Derek from there. His smile is warm and bright and he greets Derek like he’s been waiting to see him all day.

Once situated in his office, Stiles signs, “Are you ready? Today’s the big day.” 

Derek’s lips curl up in a hint of a smile. “ _Sort of. I’m nervous._ ” 

Stiles waves his hand as if to say that’s nonsense. “You’ve already done the hard part with the surgery. Now we just gotta turn it on and make sure it works.” 

Derek nods, eyes meeting Stiles’s, and he can’t help but mirror the smile he sees on Stiles’s face. Stiles wheels his desk chair around so he’s right next to Derek. He holds his hand up and gives Derek a look like he’s asking for permission, and Derek nods. He sits and waits while Stiles adjusts the device, turning it on and making sure it’s working how it’s supposed to. Derek tries not to think about how close he is to Stiles, how Stiles’s fingers feel in his hair, along his ear and neck as he brings them back down to rest in his lap.

“Okay, it’s on,” Stiles says as he signs. He continues, “Are you picking up anything? Can you hear anything, or should I adjust the volume?” 

It takes a minute to register that he is hearing Stiles’s voice as he watches his lips and hands move. It’s surreal and wonderful, and it’s not the same as it was before, he knew it never would be, but it’s something.

“No, I can… I can hear you,” Derek says, stilted but clear enough that Stiles can understand and his eyes widen and his grin is huge. 

“That’s great! It’s probably a little overwhelming, huh? It’ll take some getting used to, but I think you’ll pick it up fast.” Stiles is still signing while he talks, which is probably out of habit, but it doesn’t bother Derek. It helps actually because he still can’t pick out everything just yet.

But he doesn’t want Stiles to stop talking now that he can hear him. He remembers that it was Stiles and Derek’s desire to hear him that lead him to this point, and now that he has it, he doesn’t want to lose it. 

Now that it works and he’s done though, Derek is afraid of what will happen next. He gets up the courage to ask. 

“ _So what happens now? Is this it?”_  He can’t ask it out loud, not confident he could make it sound right, or like he’s not freaking out about how this might be the last he gets to see or hear Stiles. He tries not to imply that he wants anything more, but he can tell by Stiles’s face that he knows Derek is asking about them not the implant.

Stiles frowns and Derek’s heart drops because he knew it. This is the end, and Stiles is going to send him on his merry way and maybe if he’s lucky he’ll see him for a check up or maintenance on the implant or something. But whatever potential something (relationship?) they had or could have had will never be realized.

“Well, you’ll have a few follow-up appointments of course, and then of course maintenance or if there’s any problems you’ll have to come back. But…” 

And Derek hates this. He hates that he can hear Stiles because even though it’s not very clear, Stiles’s tone is regretful and sad and Derek doesn’t think he can take it. Wishes he’d never agreed to undergo this procedure or let Laura talk him into going.

Derek’s getting up because he knows what Stiles is going to say next and he doesn’t want to _hear it_ , and he can’t even believe he can even say that now. 

“Derek? Wait, don’t go, I—“ Stiles gets up and stops Derek with a hand on his shoulder. Derek doesn’t want to turn around, he doesn’t, but Stiles still has his hand on him, expecting him to. When he turns to face Stiles, Stiles is a great deal closer than he imagined, and it makes it worse. “What’s wrong? Did I do something?” Stiles asks, and Derek actually can’t hear it because he says it too softly, not loud enough to be picked up by the microphone in the implant. But Derek can still read his lips. 

Derek can’t think of something to say though, so he pretends he didn’t catch it.

“I should have told you sooner, I guess,” Stiles starts, and Derek has no idea where he’s going with that. “I actually switched you to Dr. Martin. This was our last appointment.”

Derek takes a step back because this is so much worse. He thought maybe he’d get to see Stiles every now and then, but Stiles didn’t even want him as a patient anymore? 

Stiles presses on though, “Lydia, Dr. Martin, is way better than me. I think you’ll like her. But, Derek, you… I couldn’t have you as my patient anymore. I couldn’t in good conscience do that. Not with what I want to do. Derek, I can’t be your doctor and be with—“ and he stops himself like he’s already said too much and didn’t mean to.

He looks up at Derek, who is standing, his mouth open, eyes wide in shock because he thinks he knows how Stiles was going to finish that sentence. He needs to know for sure though. He’s had enough of their innuendos and guessing about how the other feels. 

“ _What are you saying? You can’t be my doctor and what?”_

Stiles takes a few hesitant steps towards Derek, and when Derek doesn’t budge and lets him come closer, Stiles lets out a sigh of relief. He closes the space between them and stands so close to Derek that he can feel Stiles’s breath on his face.

“I can’t be your doctor and do this,” he says before leaning in and kisses Derek.

It’s a quick and chaste kiss, like Stiles is afraid that Derek will recoil back, like he’s been misreading things between them and that he might have taken it too far. That of course is far from the truth, and when Stiles starts to pull back, Derek pulls him in closer with a hand on his neck to kiss him again, firmer this time, like he means it. Stiles melts in his arms, as if he’d been holding all this tension and anxiety about how Derek would react to him being so forward that evaporates as soon as Derek’s lips meet his. Derek wraps an arm around Stiles’s waist to fit him against him, and Stiles lets out a pleased hum against his lips, mirroring Derek’s action by sliding his arms around Derek.

Derek can’t stop kissing Stiles’s though. He licks across his lips and slides his tongue in when Stiles opens it. Stiles lets out a little moan, and Derek is so happy that he can hear it, can hear all the little sounds Stiles is making while he nips his lips and licks into his mouth. He wants to hear all the sounds Stiles makes and Derek is elated and hopeful that he can find out what they all are and how he can bring them out. 

They stop to take a breath, and Stiles pecks Derek’s lips a few times before leaning back in his arms to look at his face.

“Now do you see why I couldn’t be your doctor?” 

“Yes.”

“Is this—Is that okay?”

Derek nods. He doesn’t want to, but he lets go of Stiles so he can sign. “ _It’s okay. It’s better than I thought._ ”

“Oh? What was that?”

“ _I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore, that it was something I did or about me._ ”

Stiles chuckles a little while he shakes his head. It’s a nice sound, but it’s not the one Derek’s been hoping for. “I mean it is about you, but it’s not because I don’t want to see you anymore. It’s because I want to see you all the time…” He ducks his head and looks up at Derek through his eyelashes, and it’s cute and coy and adorable, and Derek falls for him a little more.

“ _Can I tell you a joke?_ ” Derek asks because he’s been preparing and researching because there’s still one thing he wants.

Stiles gives him a puzzled look but he nods, waving his hand in a gesture for him to go on.

_“Two deaf men are signing to each other. The first man asks, "What did your wife say when you got home late last night? The second man replies, "She swore like crazy!" And the first man asks, "What did you do then?" And the second man replies, "I turned out the light."_

Stiles bursts out in a laugh, bending over his knees, his mouth wide open, and it’s the most magical sound Derek has ever heard. It’s light and musical, and while he always got a kick out of watching Stiles while he laughed, having the sound of his laughter to go with it completes the picture.

And it’s the most wonderful picture Derek has seen. 

~

Later on, Derek eventually tells Stiles. They’re in bed together, warm and happy, gliding their fingers up and down each others’ skin. Stiles is half on top of Derek, his head on his chest and tucked under Derek’s chin. The moon is shining in the window, casting a light glow across them, and there’s no one else in the world but them.

“I’m really glad Laura made you come see me.” 

“Me too.”

“I think about that day we met sometimes. Sometimes I think you were just asking me questions to keep me talking and saying things just to get me to laugh.”

Derek grins a little in Stiles’s hair. “I was.” 

Stiles looks up at that, his brow furrowed, eyes focused on Derek’s. “You were?”

Derek nods. “I loved how you laughed with your whole body. It was beautiful. It’s… actually what made me decide to get the implant. I wanted to hear it.” 

Stiles eyes widen, and he blushes, his cheeks and neck and chest flush a light pink. “Really?” 

Derek gives him a small smile and nods.

“I love you,” Stiles says.

“ _I love you_ ,” Derek signs.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [my tumblr](http://literaryoblivion.tumblr.com) or [my twitter](http://twitter.com/lit_oblivion).


End file.
